Wrapping Up

It has officially been over week since we finished our season and to be honest, I still don’t think it has hit me. I also think that I am slightly in denial, because not only did my season end, but my career as a Panther ended with it. With that, I am going to try and reflect on my career at UWM and the amazing experience it was.

Time flies. Everyone tells you time flies, but you’ll never believe how fast it actually goes until you’re at the finish line. As long as the morning conditioning sessions and preseason practices feel, the four or five years are there and gone before you know it. I think I can speak for the players and parents when I say that you can’t take a game or day for granted.

I’m currently wishing for just one more game...

Hard work. Hard work beats talent when talent doesn’t work hard. In many cases, we have been the underdogs, but come out on top or put up a stronger fight than expected. From the in-state rivals to the big games against top teams in the region and nation, us Panthers never fall back down from the challenge. All the belief we ever needed came from within the locker room, and our family and friends that support us.

Celebrate. From injuries to mistakes on the field, things aren’t going to always go your way, and if you bypass the good times, they will get covered up by the bad. I am blessed to be able to say that I have been a conference champion in my time at Milwaukee, but some of my best memories come from a year where you wouldn’t think much good can come out. My entire athletics career has been filled with ups and downs, but letting the bad days and moments keep you down keeps you from learning all the little lessons sports have to offer. Oh, and the fact that celebratory pictures make the best pictures!

Family. My family has supported me every step of the way, and been there at every turn. I think I can count on my fingers how many games of my career that I didn’t have at least one of my parents in the stands ... and that comes with four siblings who all play(ed) sports also. (Thanks mom and dad!!)

Our team has been close-knit and caring all the way through and I’m very thankful for that. Don’t worry, we still have the small fights and disagreements families do, but it doesn’t keep us from getting to where we want to go. As the ‘team mom’ the last two seasons, I think it’s safe to call the girls I have been around my family.

Thank you. Thank you to my coaches; they put in so much extra time and effort to make sure we are in a place to succeed. Thank you to my teammates; you have all pushed me to be the best me, enjoyed the highs, and pushed through the lows, and I couldn’t be more thankful for that. Thank you to my family; you have hauled me to practices, watched in some miserable weather, and endured the journey every step of the way. Thank you to everyone else; the athletic department, other parents, my friends, and every Panther fan for believing in us and taking part in what we do.

I’m signing off for the final time, but I can’t wait to see where the remaining group of girls carries this program. We tend to be more motivated by loss than we are by a win. Not making it to the NCAA tournament kills us inside, and I anticipate they will be there soon. So for all our fans, have faith, and keep cheering!

~peace, love, panthers~ Mar

Tourney Time!

Panther fans, get ready for some fun soccer to be played this weekend in the Horizon League tournament!

First, let’s recap our final regular season game of the year. We took on Cleveland State, and a win gave us our 16th!!! regular-season championship in the last 17 seasons!

We came out firing on all cylinders and put ourselves in a good place as we went into halftime up 6-0. Goals came from across the board with Cass scoring twice, Anna scoring twice, Maddie once and Marissa once. We were machines scoring off of corners, and we’re hoping that carries over to this weekend. It was a really fun game of soccer in front of an awesome crowd!

We did give up a late goal and the final was 6-1, but a lot of girls got playing time, 'Senior Night' (pictured below) couldn’t have gone much better, and we clinched the first seed to host the tournament this weekend!!

Speaking of which, we have spent the week getting ourselves ready to battle for the tournament title. It started with our annual Halloween practice (see below) Sunday morning (shoutout to Mermaid Man and Barnacle Boy and our extra Coach Fabianos), and carried high energy through a positive week of training! After the quarterfinal games took place Monday, we are set to play Oakland in the Semifinals tonight at 7 pm!!

The field was getting all decked out in Horizon League banners and signs, so we got a good taste of the atmosphere at practice today! Bring your friends and family to witness some exciting soccer! We do our best to host because our home crowds never disappoint!

Free pizza for UWM students also! (Who doesn’t love pizza?!)

Home Stretch

I’m back to recap a few more Panther wins as we get ready for our final home game of the regular season. I’ll start by rewinding back to last Wednesday when we took on UW-Green Bay.

We headed up there, and got to campus, although most of us couldn’t really tell since Green Bay seems to be in the middle of nowhere. Minus a little bit of cold, it was a pretty nice night for some soccer. We went up 1-0 fairly early in the first half on a goal from Aubrey, but got called for a penalty kick shortly after. Green Bay converted on the PK to tie the game at one.

Kelli Swenson converted on a corner kick just before halftime to put us back ahead, and the score-line remained the same for us to head home with another big win on the road. My sister was able to make the short trip from St. Norbert and brought her coach along for the game so I can’t fail to mention that. Jen went above and beyond and printed a poster size headshot of me, which you can see below!

Following Green Bay, we trained another day on our home field, before the team took off for Youngstown State.

I missed out on this trip as I was home for my brother’s wedding (Congrats Jordan and Mallory), but I got to follow along for the team bringing home a convincing win! The scoring was split evenly between the two halves, with Lolo and Jen scoring in the first half, and McKaela and Aubrey both scoring in the second. Shoutout to Aubrey who is working with a three-game scoring streak!

Our final home game, and SENIOR NIGHT! is tomorrow (FRIDAY) night at 7 pm! Come out and bring some friends as we hope to clinch a regular season championship!

NKU is fighting until the end so we need to take care of business on our end to protect the title! In honor of senior night, I went back in the archives to find the roster picture of each of us in our first season here at UWM, we really haven’t changed much if you ask me!

Back on Track

Happy to report back with another Panther win after a game with Wright State. Most of you know that it was a big game for us (all of them are though), but this game was a battle for the top. Over halfway through the conference season now, we put ourselves in a great position going forward with a thrilling 2-0 win over the Raiders Saturday afternoon.

Another back and forth game for the first half had things even at zero yet again going into the break. It stayed that way until the 79th minute.

From there, we knew we had a job to do, and knew we needed a goal to get us where we wanted to be. Aubrey was able to control the ball with her back to the goal, turn, and fire a shot to the back post, to put us up 1-0! She was taken down as she shot, so the goal celebration started while she was on the ground. Once she was up, and we figured out it was gauze in her mouth, not a missing tooth, we were ready to finish the game strong!

Not too long after that, we had a free kick about 40-45 yards out. With the wind at our backs, I dumped the ball into the box and left the rest up to my teammates. McKaela was running full steam into the box, got a quick touch on the ball and put it in the back of the net to give us a two-goal lead with a few minutes left.

From there, we stayed strong, kept the ball on our half of the field and walked away with full control of things in conference the rest of the way. If we take care of business, we will end up on top.

Friday night, we spent a little time bonding as a team carving pumpkins! This is the fourth year in a row for us, and weather cooperated pretty well for us to be able to carve in Anna, Aubrey, Cass, Erin, and Syd’s driveway.

See below for a few pictures of the group. The group had some fun spending time with each other outside of soccer for a change!

Next up is our in-state conference rivalry game against Green Bay. Head up-state Wednesday night or catch the match online! The next three games get even bigger as we want to control the standings the rest of the way out!

 

Keep Fighting

I have to apologize for the delay in blog posts ... you can thank my professors for that! On the plus side, I have two games to recap, after the gap between posts.

A week and a half ago we traveled to Detroit and took on the Titans. We left mid-morning on Friday, stopped by the field for a very brief walkthrough - very brief due to the rainy weather and lack of lights. We made our way to Applebee’s for a solid dinner out. It became very entertaining when a friendly young guy joined one of our dinner tables. Needless to say he believed we were from Milwaukee, California, and it didn’t take long for the manager to ask him to leave us alone.

We had a Saturday matinee game, and since we like to keep things interesting for the fans, we made sure the game went to extra time. Not due to lack of possession or attack, but Detroit was a strong side with a lot of heart. Doing what they do best though, Anna and Callie, with the help of Aubrey this time, snuck in a goal in the 109th minute to give us a golden goal win for the ride home!

Next came a LONG week of practice before we took on Oakland this past Saturday. Oakland plays a very similar style to us, so it came down to who could do it better. It was a rather boring first half, we apologize, but a beautiful goal in the second half hopefully made up for it. It came off a quick give-and-go between Jen and I, and then a long ball through the back line to Callie, who nice and composed, beat the keeper and passed the ball in. That goal held on to be enough for the win!

Saturday was also our annual "Pink Out" game, so this week’s shout-out goes to all the cancer survivors out there, and the hope of a cure to come in the future!

We are now preparing for Wright State in a battle for the top. They make a visit to Engelmann this Saturday at 2 PM, so come out and support! Only a few more home games on the season, and two weeks between the two we have left!

Grinding It Out

Hello Panther fans, blog fanatics, and everyone else in between...

I hope you are enjoying the cooler fall weather that started to settle in!

We are now 2-1 in conference, after games against Northern Kentucky and Valparaiso since I last blogged. Let’s start with last night’s game against Valpo.

We hit the road around 1 o’clock, hoping to avoid Chicago traffic and we did just that. We got to Valpo with about two and a half hours to spare, which is better than normal, we tend to run a little behind on our road trips. Once we were there, we fueled up with some Jimmy Johns, and headed to campus to prepare for the matchup with the Crusaders. Game time came, and Anna Smalley got us off to a quick start ... that must just be her thing. Jen took a strike from distance, the goalie got her hands on it but dropped it, and Anna was there to follow and put the ball in the back of the net.

We had control a majority of the first half but were unable to find another goal. Valpo got the equalizer in the first part of the second half, and we found ourselves in another overtime game. We fell short in this match, giving up a goal in the first overtime for our first conference loss on the year.

On a better note, we had a successful trip to Northern Kentucky over last weekend. Being their second season in the conference, it was our first trip there. After the way our bus ride there went, not many of us want to make that trip again. We came out ready to play on Saturday though, having a strong but scoreless first half, and getting a goal in the 75th minute to walk away with a 1-0 win. The goal came directly off of a corner, and many people question if it actually went in ... ask Anna, she saw first-hand and celebrated right away!

We now head to Detroit, to take on the Titans who sit at the top of the conference right now. Another long bus trip before we return home to Engelmann to play in front of the home crowd. I’m hoping Anny brings her bouncy ball and deck(s) of cards, so there is something to keep us busy again!

I hope you all follow along this weekend, should be a great game to watch!

On the Road Again

Hello Panther fans/blog fanatics! I don’t know about you, but we missed having a mid-week game this week and are ready for things this weekend! Before I get to what’s ahead, let’s recap last weekend with our conference opener!

We took on UIC at home Friday night, and got the conference season off to a strong start. Our offense kept rolling from our game against Chicago State just two days before. The scoring started early as I bent a corner into the back of the net just 3 minutes into the game. That goal wasn’t enough to initially put out the Flames though, as they found the back of the net about 3 minutes later. From there, it was all us.

Callie had herself quite the night, scoring twice and assisting on another. The early entry ball into Maddie created a beautiful one-touch finish and impressed quite a few folks in the stands.

McKaela came away with her first career goal after she chested/stomached?? the ball into the goal on a corner. Troy tells us to just let the ball hit us when we are that close and McKaela did just that.

Callie’s first goal came on a long service from Cassidy in the back line, and her second came on a long free kick that she one-timed past the keeper.

Next up, we hit the road to travel to Northern Kentucky. We have had the benefit of spending the week preparing for them, and getting ourselves set for another big conference match.

Unfortunately, we won’t be home for a little bit, but who doesn’t love a little road trip! We are hoping to keep the offense firing on all cylinders, and bring home a big win after this weekend! Follow along, I think you’ll enjoy the ride!

Ready to Go

With a few games to recap this time, I’ll jump right into that. Last Friday we took on crosstown rival Marquette. As always, it was a great atmosphere to play in, and a high-energy game. With a scoreless first half, it didn’t take long for Anna Smalley to find the back of the net in the second. We held the 1-0 lead until the final two minutes of regulation, but battled through both overtimes to walk away with the draw. Huge shout-out to our men’s team as they fought back from a 3-0 deficit last night to walk away with a tie against Marquette also!

Sunday we turned around and played a strong Iowa State team. Both teams were unable to break the other down during regulation so we headed into another overtime game. We like to keep things interesting for our fans! This time we came up on the losing side of things giving up a goal about halfway through the second overtime period. We had a few minor injuries coming off of Sunday, one being a pretty stellar black eye for Kelli Swenson ... you should see the other girl! She actually probably looks better than Kelli, no offense. Another shout-out this week goes to the women’s basketball team for coming out to support us, especially for embarrassing McKaela a little bit! For those of you that don’t know, McKaela is a dual-sport athlete here and is playing basketball also.

Bouncing back from Sunday’s game, we had our last non-conference game of the year against Chicago State last night. We were focused on playing with energy and finishing our chances, and we did! It took us a little bit to get the scoring going, but once we did, the flood gates were open!

Anna started the scoring with a header goal off of a corner kick! She kept things going for us finishing with a hat trick on the night! Sydney Senn added two goals for us in her action last night. We had a spread for the final 6 goals from Ashley Burkhardt (1st of her career!), Aubrey Krahn, Kelly Manski, Marissa Stovring, Callie O’Donnell, and most notably, Abbey Hoerchner scored the first of her career after battling through 3 ACL injuries, capping off a fun night at Engelmann!

I should also make mention of the combined shutout performance on the night, Lauren Rice with her first career start, and Olivia Davies with a second half clean sheet to back her up!

We are excited to open up our conference season this Friday night as we take on the UIC Flames! It is a 7 p.m. game, with a Pizza Hut giveaway, so bring some friends and come cheer us on!

Good to be Back

As much as we all look forward to spending a weekend on the road, there’s nothing quite like the feeling of being back home (despite the hassle of unpacking all of our dirty laundry from the weekend when we get back).

Our road trip began by heading to Macomb, IL. There isn’t much there, so we arrived late Thursday night at the hotel, rested up, and woke up ready to rock and roll for the game that day. We ate breakfast on our own in the hotel, and then got lunch at Steve’s favorite sandwich shop from when he was in college and would visit Western Illinois. Let’s just say Steve’s favorite, wasn’t our favorite. We stopped back at the hotel, packed our stuff, and headed to the field.

Despite a slow start, and an all-around slow game, we found the back of the net on four occasions. I started the scoring in the 15th minute on a slotted ball back post. Marissa Stovring scored her first goal as a Panther on a ball from Lolo in the 43rd minute; hopefully there are many more to come from her! The second half brought two more goals, and first of the season for Anna Smalley and Maddie Tetzke.

We left straight from Western Illinois’ field and headed to Des Moines, Iowa for a matchup with Drake that was to come Sunday. We stopped at Olive Garden, the endless breadsticks really hit the spot, although the gluten-free girls were a bit envious ... Abbey even smelled a breadstick to get as close to eating it as she could. Once at the hotel, it was straight to bed, although the party in the lobby was tempting. We trained on Drake’s practice field, grabbed some lunch, and had some free time to explore downtown.

The morning started with a good breakfast at the hotel, a quick meeting, packing our bags, and we were off to the field. We came out strong, getting ourselves out front to a 1-0 lead, but a late first half goal from Drake had us tied going into the break. We gave up a late goal, and unfortunately traveled home 1-1 on the weekend, but we came back ready to go this week at practice.

I would like to give a big shout-out to all of the Panther fans that made the long trips this weekend; there’s nothing like seeing the familiar faces in the crowd when we are miles from home!

Two big games lie ahead this weekend, and both will be here in Milwaukee. Friday night is our crosstown rivalry with Marquette at Valley Fields at 7 pm, and Sunday we play a strong Iowa State team at home. Come out and support as we play our last few nonconference games of the year!

Now We Go ...

Last weekend was filled with some highs and lows for the Panthers. Thursday night we traveled to UW-Madison for an always intense in-state rivalry. We jumped out to an EARLY lead with Callie finishing a beautiful pass from Anna Smalley in the second minute.

Like I said last week, once Callie gets going, she is very hard to stop. We then got locked in defensively and battled to the final minutes.

Unfortunately, Wisconsin was able to find the equalizer late in the second half and we headed to overtime. It didn’t feel great walking off the field with a 1-1 tie, but we thought it was a good result against a Top-20 team on the road.

For those of you that may not know, our parents spoil us. We may be adults, key words 'may be', but one of the things we look forward to most are the treat bags that our parents bring after all of our away games. We are still waiting on the halftime snacks ... but their smiling faces and tasty treats are the best way to start our treks home.

Sunday we turned around to play Southeast Missouri. We conceded a goal in the first few minutes of the game, and unfortunately were kept scoreless despite many, many chances to tie the game up. This led to our first loss of the year, as well as the end of a thirteen game unbeaten streak which had tied a previous school record. Looks like it’s time to start that streak over again! (Everyone please keep Erin in your thoughts and prayers as she unfortunately saw her season come to an end this past weekend with a torn ACL and meniscus. We are all hoping for a speedy and strong recovery!)

We have our first real road trip of the year this weekend as we travel to Western Illinois for a Friday afternoon game, and head straight to Drake for a Sunday afternoon match up. As all of the other students return and come to campus in the wake of the soon-approaching school year, we look to get away for a weekend and bring home a pair of big wins.

Speaking of school starting, the Panthers greeted students at Hartford Elementary school located in the middle of our campus, hoping to make their first day of school a positive one! It was a fun way to get involved in the community and be positive influences for the students we pass each day.

Stay tuned Panther fans, we have a big year ahead!

And It Begins ...

Hello Panther fans!

Now that women’s soccer season is FINALLY back, so is the blog! (I hope you are as excited as me). For those of you that may not know, I am in my fifth year as a Panther and wear the number 32 for the black and gold.

Our (regular) season got underway this weekend and I am very pleased to announce that your Panthers are 2-0! We battled with a couple teams out of the Mid American Conference, playing Akron on Friday night, and Northern Illinois University Sunday afternoon.

Friday’s game was filled with lightning delays, 77 minutes worth to be exact. There may not be anything more entertaining than a locker room filled with girls, music, and the adrenaline of wanting to play a home opener, but we were stuck waiting inside. A brief dance party may have broken out during the first delay. With a little help from the wet conditions, we were able to gain a 1-0 advantage going into halftime off of a shot from a little bit of distance by myself, and the first goal of the year was in the books. We were held scoreless in the second half, but we definitely had the opportunity to tuck a few more goals away.

We saved those goals up for Sunday afternoon when we took on the Huskies. After giving up a goal in the fifth minute, Callie O’Donnell was able to tally her first goal of the year, soon after in the 11th minute. Once Callie gets going, there’s no stopping her. She added her second goal of the year on a crafty re-direction goal in the 60th minute after Kelly Manski had a strike from outside of the box. With her two goals, Callie earned the first Horizon League Offensive Player of the Week honors (and I don’t think it will be her last!). To put the cherry on top, and as a belated birthday present to herself, Jen Eberhardy (aka Yenni Cuatro) tucked the ball in the back of the net off of a corner kick in the 64th minute.

After a productive preseason filled with food, two-a-days, and the Olympics, and a promising opening weekend, we feel ready to go as a team this season! It helps having a familiar coaching staff, a large group of returners, and a great group of new girls ready to contribute!

We are back in action Thursday night against the Badgers at 7 pm. We play at their place this year, but it would be great to see the crowd filled with Black & Gold. We then return home Sunday for a midday game against Southeast Missouri, hope to see you all there!